ble for the Chinese vessels, and as a station for the
ships of the line from those islands. It is called Monterrei, and
lies in thirty-seven degrees. It has water and wood, better and in
greater quantity than the other port. It is excellently sheltered
from all winds, and abounds in pines along the coast, of whatever
size one may wish, for use us masts. That port is very suitable so
that the vessels on returning from those Filipinas Islands may go
there without there being any necessity of going to Japon by reason
of storms, as vessels have done several times, losing thereby a very
great amount of property. The vessels from China generally run along in
sight of this place, for which purpose it is also very suitable. For,
if that port be known, then vessels will not port until reaching it,
when necessity would otherwise compel them to go to Japon and to
those islands, since the work and trouble necessary to reach those
places would take them to the said port. Besides, they report that
the country is of a mild climate and very fertile (as is seen by its
numerous trees), and very thickly inhabited with people of very mild
and docile disposition, and whose reduction to the holy gospel and to
my royal crown will be very easy. It maintains itself, and the food is
of many different kinds of grain and of flesh of game, with which the
country is exceedingly well supplied. The dress of the Indians of the
coast is made of the skins of sea-wolves, which the Indians tan and
dress very well. They have abundance of thread made from Castilian
flax, hemp, and cotton. By these Indians and by many others whom the
said Sebastian Vizcaino discovered along the coast in the more than
eight hundred leguas of his voyage, he was everywhere informed that
there were great settlements inland, and silver and gold. This is
considered to be true, because veins of metals were discovered in
some parts of the mountains of the mainland. If the seasons of the
summer were known, one could enter the interior through this place
and locate those metals, for it promises great wealth. Also the rest
of the coast might be explored from that port, for it extends past the
forty-second degree where the said Sebastian Vizcayno went, and which
was named as his limit in his instructions. The coast extends even to
Japon and the Chinese coast. He said that he could not enter the mouth
of the [gulf of the] Californias, on his return and while passing,
as I had sent him orde